RIP Neal Caffrey
by ChristyK
Summary: Peter must race against time to save Neal's life...   My 1st White Collar fic...  Not sure if anyone will like it but here goes...
1. Chapter 1

I usually write fics for Supernatural so this is my first White Collar fic, and probably my last if no one likes it, so if anyone reviews it please be kind, I hurt easily. I tend to write short chapters, but I usually update each week. I only write these for fun so I know there are a lot of typos and stuff so just ignore them; I'm obviously not a writer. I just started watching it this season and immediately had to buy season 1 to catch up. What can I say but I LOVE the show….. Matt Bomer has to be one of the hottest guys on earth! Those eyes….that body…what can I say but he's gorgeous!

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter one

Peter Burke watched his "partner" on the closed circuit television screen in the FBI's van. What the hell did Neal think he was doing he wondered. They had managed to coral the "Iceman" and his partners into an abandoned warehouse on the premise that Neal was going to buy some valuable diamonds from them. They had lifted them in a heist and it was only a matter of minutes before the FBI took them down. But before the agents could break down the door and arrest the men Peter had watched Neal whisper something to one of them and had watched as the man slipped out a side door and vanished into the darkness.

"What the hell are you doing?" Peter screamed at Neal when he emerged from the run down warehouse just as the FBI agents broke in. Everything had gone wrong today from beginning till end and now this. Peter was tired and didn't feel like dealing with his "partner", he just wanted the day to end.

"Peter…." Neal tried to explain.

"Don't Peter me! We saw everything, and we saw you let Baker walk away."

"He was an old friend."

"I don't give a damn if he was your long lost brother. You're working for me and it's about time you understood that."

"I'm sorry Peter….. Baker and I go back a long way and…."

"Pulling something like this could get you sent back to prison and this time I might just let them take you back."

"Peter I couldn't just let them take him in. … He's nothing; he's just a poor soul who got mixed up with the wrong guys."

Peter didn't want to hear any of it. He had grown too fond of Neal and Neal had taken advantage of that friendship. Well it was about time Neal learned who the boss was.

"I'm seriously thinking of ending this so called relationship. You're nothing but a con and that's all you'll ever be. I'm getting tired of it, and tired of you." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Peter regretted it. He saw the flash of pain in Neal's eyes and saw him swallow hard. He knew sooner or later he'd calm down. Neal was Neal and there wasn't anything anyone could change about him. Sure he let one of the Iceman's men walk away but he had also managed to help capture one of New York's most elusive thieves. They now had seven men in custody; losing one wasn't going to make that much of a difference. "Go ….. go on get out of here. I'll see you in the office first thing in the morning."

"Can I hitch a ride with you?" His apartment was way across town and it would be a long walk.

"You find your own way home Neal, you're good at improvising."

Even though he wanted to tell Neal that he knew he had made a mistake and that he had already forgiven him for it he couldn't, that wouldn't be teaching the con man anything. Neal had deliberately done wrong and he needed to learn that his charm wasn't going to keep getting him out of trouble. He turned away from the young con man and began helping the other FBI agents process the men they had just arrested.

Neal stood watching, hoping he'd be the recipient of one of Peter's understanding smiles, but he wasn't. He felt a sharp pain in his heart; it was as if Peter had completely written him off. He knew he had done wrong but he thought Peter was a friend and that he would forgive him. He slowly turned and started heading for home. He had money in his pocket and could have hailed a cab but he wanted to walk, he had done Peter wrong and he wanted to punish himself for it. He felt horrible for letting Peter down but he couldn't turn an old friend in. As he walked he wondered if Peter would really send him back to jail, he didn't think so but there was always the chance he would. He couldn't go back there, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of being locked up again, he'd rather die. He thought about removing his ankle monitor and making a run for it, but if he did that Peter would be even more disappointed in him then he was now. He'd have to face whatever Peter was going to do to him like a man, and not run away like some kid.

**Later**

Neal was a few blocks from home when he decided to stop at a corner bar for some drinks; maybe he could get Peter's disappointed face out of his mind. He ignored the girls at the bar as they all turned around as one to admire the handsome young man that had just walked in. Instead he headed over to the counter and ordered a glass of scotch. After a few more drinks he decided he was numb enough to head for home. He walked out of the bar and started to head down the street. The scotch had dimmed his mind and reflexes and he could offer little resistance as two men grabbed him from behind and tossed him into an alley where they proceeded to beat him senseless. He grunted with each blow and was glad that the scotch he had drunk earlier had taken some of the pain out of them. Finally he fell to his knees and the only thing that was holding him up was that one of the men had his hair fisted tight in his hand. Through the blood running down his face he saw a third man come out of the shadows. The man grabbed his face and Neal managed to look at him through a bloody, drunken haze.

"The famous Neal Caffrey." The man said. "I've been looking for just this opportunity." The man then delivered a vicious blow to Neal's face snapping his head back and he felt himself begin to pass out. "Roll up his sleeve." He ordered one of the other men. He then produced a syringe from out of his pocket and removed the cap that was covering the needle. Without a second thought he plunged it into Neal's arm and emptied the contents. "Adam Weston sends his regards." The man whispered then nodded at his partners and they let Neal collapse to the ground. The last thing he saw before he passed out were the three men walking out of the alley.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews. I usually try to thank everyone personally but some of you have private message disabled so I couldn't….so thanks to all who took the time to review, I really appreciate it and hope you like the rest of the story.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter two

**The next morning**

Peter kept his eye on the clock; Neal was already an hour late. He then checked the screen that monitored the conman's whereabouts and could see a little dot on the screen getting closer and closer. Peter smiled to himself. Neal had called in a few hours earlier and had asked to have off today, probably because he didn't want to face him Peter thought, but he had told him no. Peter glanced at the door to the large office outside of his own then quickly turned away when he saw Neal step off the elevator and head toward his office, he didn't want him to think he was waiting for him. He waited till he heard Neal enter his own office.

"You're late." He told him still not turning around.

"Sorry." Was all Neal said as he gingerly sat down in a chair.

"Neal, about yesterday…" Peter turned around to face Neal and all the color drained from his face when he saw the bruises that covered the young con man's face. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I had an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Peter walked over and gently tilted Neal's face upward so he could see it better.

"I was jumped."

"Jumped? By who?" Did you know them?" Peter knew with Neal's past anyone could be after him.

"Don't know, I didn't get much of a look at them."

"How the hell did you manage to get yourself jumped?"

Neal looked up at Peter giving him an even better look at his face and enjoyed the pained look on the FBI agent's own face. Maybe he still cared about him, maybe he wasn't angry anymore, maybe they were still friends.

"I was walking home…." He looked into Peter's eyes. "…because I didn't have a ride." He added.

"Okay, if you wanted to make me feel guilty you succeeded."

"Good." Neal smiled but then winced when the movement of his lips caused his split lip to start to bleed again. Peter handed him a tissue.

"Did you go to the hospital and get checked out?"

Neal shook his head.

"Well you're going now." Peter grabbed his jacket.

"I'm fine Peter."

"You're my responsibility and if I say you're going, you're going."

"Peter…." Neal started to protest but was cut off by Peter.

"No arguments, let's go."

Neal started to get out of the chair but his bruised ribs protested. His pain was not lost on Peter.

"Boy they really did a number on you didn't they?" He said sympathetically.

Neal managed a small smile as Peter helped him out of the chair.

"Thanks."

Guilt washed over the agent as he watched Neal walk stiffly to the door. If only he hadn't been so pig headed and had taken him home instead of making him walk, none of this would have happened.

"I'm sorry Neal." He said softly. He really was fond of the young man and felt terrible seeing him hurt like this.

"No problem."

Those two words hurt Peter even more. Instead of being pissed at him for what had happened Neal just let it go as if nothing had happened between them.

**The hospital**

As soon as they walked into the hospital a nurse immediately put Neal in a wheelchair.

"What happened?" She asked as she looked back and forth between the two men.

"He was mugged." Peter told him.

"Did he file a police report?"

Peter looked at Neal who shook his head.

The nurse pushed Neal into an examination room then turned to Peter.

"Are you family?"

At first Peter was going to say yes, sometimes he felt like a father or older brother to the younger man, but he wasn't blood family.

"No."

"Then you'll have to wait outside."

"I'm staying with him." Peter said as he flashed his F.B.I. badge, he wasn't about to let Neal out of his sight.

"Oh." The nurse seemed impressed. "The doctor will be with you in a few minutes." She gave Peter a smile as she left the room.

"Peter this isn't necessary, I'll be fine."

"We'll let the doctor determine that."

Within a few minutes the doctor came in and immediately had Neal remove his shirt and lie down on the table so he could examine him. With Peter's help he slowly took off his shirt and then was helped up onto the table.

"I'll kill the son of a bitch!" Peter mumbled under his breath when he saw the dark bruises covering Neal's chest and stomach.

"You really took one heck of a beating young man." The doctor told Neal as he gently pressed on his stomach and felt his ribs. "I'm going to need some x-rays and some blood work."

"Blood work?" Peter asked as he watched Neal wince in pain with each touch.

"With a beating like this we need to make sure his spleen, liver, or any other internal organ wasn't damaged."

"And if the blood work comes back positive?"

"Then we're going to have to open him up and repair the damage."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. You have no idea what your kind words mean to me.

R.I.P. Matt Caffrey

Chapter three

**Later**

After the doctor left to check on other patients and to wait for the test results Peter pulled a chair up and sat next to Neal.

"Okay I want you to tell me what happened from the beginning to the end."

"I was walking home and I got jumped, end of story."

"Where?"

"Outside a bar."

"Which bar?"

Neal hesitated. He had heard the man say his name so obviously he knew who he was, but if it was someone from his past he didn't want Peter to become involved in it so he lied.

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" Peter wasn't buying it. "You're a con man…..you remember everything."

"Well this time I don't."

Peter looked at Neal suspiciously, what was he hiding?

"Neal I want to get these guys off the street before they hurt someone else."

"Sorry Peter…I don't know anything." Neal didn't think they were going to hurt anyone else or else he would have told Peter the name of the bar and the description of the men that beat him. These men for some reason were after him, and more than likely just him..

Peter tried to think. Neal's apartment was on a fairly straight line from where the case had gone down so more than likely he had walked on the main street and only cut back when he came to his street. It shouldn't be too hard to check out the bars in the area, maybe someone had seen something, or maybe they could confiscate security tapes. He could tell Neal was holding something back from him, but what, and why?

"Neal these guys beat the crap out of you. If they were just muggers there would be no reason for that. They would just knock you down, take your wallet, and leave. They obviously wanted to hurt you."

"They were probably drunk Peter and just got carried away."

"Neal I'm about as good as you are at reading people and I can tell you're not telling me something."

"Well don't read more into this then you have to Peter."

"I'm going to find out what's going on sooner or later so why don't you enlighten me now?"

"Peter I…." Neal started to talk but suddenly he felt like he couldn't catch his breath. He struggled to sit up. "I…I can't…breathe….can't ….breathe….." He managed to get out as he started to panic.

Peter grabbed Neal by his shoulders and pulled him gently into a sitting position.

"Better?" He asked as he looked into Neal's light blue eyes.

"Yeah….thanks."

Peter swallowed hard when he saw the fear in his "partner's" eyes. He looked so young and vulnerable it was hard to imagine he was one of the top con men in the world.

"Where the hell's that doctor?" Peter began pacing back and forth worried that Neal was hurt worse than either of them thought.

**A few hours later**

The doctor finally walked in holding a clip board with the lab results in his hand.

"The x-rays show no broken ribs, just badly bruised ones….but I need to take another blood sample."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Are you family?" The doctor asked as he withdrew more blood from Neal's arm.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"I'm not allowed to speak in front of other people without the patient's permission, especially if you're not family."

Peter looked at Neal almost daring him to make him leave.

"It's okay, you can talk in front of him."

"Well I'd really like to take some more tests before I come to any kind of conclusion but….."

"But what?"

"We found a slow acting poison in your blood work." The doctor told Neal who looked at him in disbelief.

"Poison!" Peter felt a cold chill come over his entire body. He looked down at Neal who looked shocked and didn't know what to say. "You can give him something for it can't you?"

"That's the thing; we've never seen anything like it before. We're going to have to contact other hospitals with the results and see if they've ever dealt with something like this before, and if they did, we need to get the antidote for it."

"What'll happen?" Neal finally found his voice. "What if they can't find an antidote? What happens then?"

"Your respiratory system will slowly shut down and….."

"And what?" Peter didn't know if he really wanted to hear the rest of it.

"And he'll slowly suffocate to death."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter four

When the doctor left Neal sat staring at the floor while Peter stood staring at Neal. He couldn't believe this was happening. They both were silent for a minute or two then Neal finally spoke softly.

"Peter I don't want to die."

Peter tried to hide his emotions and speak calmly; in truth he was terrified of losing the con man. They had been through so much together and they had formed a strong bond between them. Losing Neal would be like losing his own son if he had one.

"You're not going to; they're going to find a cure."

"But what if they don't? Peter I don't want to go out like that….not like that." The idea of slowly suffocating scared him to death. If he had his choice he'd rather go down in a hail of bullets then not being able to breathe.

"We're going to Neal and don't you think otherwise."

Neal looked up at Peter and Peter could see the fear in his eyes.

"I'm scared Peter."

Peter put his hand on Neal's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's going to be alright Neal but you need to tell me who did this to you?"

"I really don't know." When he saw the look on Peter's face he continued. "I'm telling you the truth. All I know is that two guys grabbed me when I was coming out of Mike's Tavern and pushed me into an alley. Next thing I know a third guy shows up and calls me by my name and that's about it. Not much to go on huh?"

"He knew you?"

"Apparantly."

"Do you remember him giving you the poison?"

"No." Neal looked down at his arm where he could see a tiny puncture mark. "I think I passed out right around then….. But I do remember him saying something else, but I can't remember what…..That's when the lights went out."

"Why didn't you tell me this when I asked you what happened?"

"I didn't want to get you involved. I figured it was someone from my past that had a gripe with me. … It didn't concern you, besides I've been enough trouble to you already."

"You're not any trouble Neal….Oh maybe once in awhile you might get into a little trouble but nothing I can't handle." Peter smiled down at Neal. "I'm sorry I got mad at you yesterday, I shouldn't have."

"It's okay Peter, I shouldn't have left Baker walk, it's just that….."

"He was an old friend." Peter finished his sentence. "I understand that, and I shouldn't have gotten all bent out of shape because of it. I wasn't after Baker and him walking didn't hurt the case."

"Peter, you got me out of jail….you've been more than fair with me. You've been a friend, a good friend and I just want you to know incase….."

"Don't you go giving me a goodbye speech. We're going to find out who did this to you and what kind of poison they used. … You're not going anywhere Neal."

"Peter."

"Yeah."

"I need you to do something for me if I don't make it."

"Neal…." Peter didn't want to hear any last wishes.

"Listen to me Peter, please…..If I don't make it I want to be cremated, I don't want to be buried underground. I was locked up long enough and I don't want to be confined again when I'm dead."

"You're not going to die Neal, I'm not going to let you."

"But if I do, I need you to do this for me."

"Okay, okay I'll make sure they follow your wishes." Peter turned away from Neal; he couldn't believe they were talking as if it was a certainty that Neal was going to die. Suddenly the room seemed to be closing in on him and he had to get out. "I'm going to go talk to the doctor." He told Neal as he quickly walked out of the room.

**Doctor's office**

Peter walked down the hall to the doctor's office and was quickly ushered inside.

"Tell me doctor, how sick is Neal?"

"Your friend is very sick. The lab techs are working on it and will keep at it till they come up with something."

"What exactly is going to happen to him?"

"The poison will slowly zap his strength and eventually he won't be able to breathe. We should be able to keep him alive on life support for a few weeks, maybe even months, but unless we can find a cure his lungs will eventually break down and even forcing air into them won't help."

Peter closed his eyes and shook his head sadly; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Neal was always so full of life and he couldn't believe he soon could be dead. If Neal couldn't stand being locked up in jail, or being buried, how would he feel knowing that if they didn't find a cure he'd be strapped down to a bed and have air forced into his lungs."

"How long does he have?"

"I'd say no more than a few days, maybe a week at most."

"What about his other injuries?"

"He has some bad bruises but those would have healed with time, but….."

"But time is what he doesn't have." Peter finished the doctor's thoughts.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews. And thanks Ash8….Your private message thingie was disabled and I couldn't thank you privately. Glad you like the story and thanks for the nice review. Also to angbeth, I appreciate your review and tried to e mail you but not sure if you got it.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter five

**Examination Room**

A million thoughts were going through Peter's head as he headed toward the room Neal was in. What if Neal did die? What if he lost him? He had no idea how the con man had grown so close to him but he had. He would take a bullet for Neal, hell he would even die for him. Neal made him smile, even when he was mad at him. He just had a way about him that made you feel good. Even El loved him. Peter blinked back tears and cleared his throat before he opened the door and walked into the room.

Neal had already put his shirt on and was sitting in the chair waiting for him. He looked like a little kid waiting for his dad. He gave Peter a small smile; it was obvious he was glad he was back and he was no longer alone. In his lap he held a small case that held an oxygen mask and tank that the nurse had given him for when his breathing got worse. He quickly shut it, as if he was embarrassed to let Peter see it.

"They said I could go. I gave them my number and they said they'd call as soon as they knew something." Neal stood up and looked at Peter. "What did the doctor say?"

"He said he'd call as soon as they found an antidote." Peter left out the part about him dying in a few days and about being put on life support, because it just wasn't going to happen, he wouldn't let it.

"Guess this might get me a few days off. What do you think boss?"

"Boss?" Peter smiled. "We'll its about time you learn who is in charge."

They both started walking toward the door but suddenly Neal stopped.

"I was just wondering what are you going to do if I don't make it? Who's going to help you? Who's going to look out for you? I guess Jones and Diana can do that but…..are you going to find someone like me to bust out of jail and help you with your cases, because if you are I can give you a few names."

"There is no one like you Neal." Peter smiled. "You're the best there is."

"Yeah I am, aren't I?" Neal said proudly.

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, there was no way he could work with someone else, not after working with Neal Caffrey.

**Neal's apartment **

"Well do I get a few days off or what?" Neal asked as they pulled up in front of the building.

"Yeah you'll get some days off but you're not staying here, you're staying with me."

"Peter….."

"No arguments, I just brought you here to pick up a few of your things."

"Peter I'm not going to intrude on you and Elizabeth. I'll be fine here."

"El likes you, you won't be intruding." Peter wanted him close by so he or El could keep an eye on him.

Neal looked out the side window for a few seconds as if he was thinking about something; finally he turned back to Peter.

"Peter…..did the doctor tell you how long I have?"

"No." Peter lied, there was no way he was going to tell him that he could be dead in a few days.

"You sure? You wouldn't' lie to me would you?"

"Yeah I'm sure." He hated lying but he didn't want to worry him anymore then he had to.

**On the way to Peter's**

They had picked up a few things at Neal's apartment and now were almost at Peter's house. Most of the ride was done in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. When they pulled up in front of the house Neal looked over at Peter.

"I don't want you to tell Elizabeth what happened."

"Neal, she can't help but see your bruises."

"I'm not talking about the bruises I'm talking about the dying part. I don't want anyone else to know either…..I don't want everyone looking at me funny or treating me any different."

"Neal I'm going to have to run files and pull surveillance tapes, they're going to know something's up."

"Well then just tell who you have to, not everyone…..Please Peter….I just don't want to be stared at like I'm a ghost or something."

"I'll do whatever I have to to get you well….I'll keep your secret for as long as I can, but once I can't the whole story is going to have to come out."

"Thanks Peter." It was all he could ask.

"Let's get you settled and then I'm heading for the office."

**Inside**

"Hi babe." Elizabeth gave her husband a peck on the cheek when he came in the door. She then noticed Neal and the suitcase her husband was holding. "We're having company?" She asked Peter.

"Yeah." Was all Peter said.

"Hi Ne….. " She suddenly stopped when she noticed his bruises. "Oh my God Neal what happened?"

"I just got into a little altercation that's all." Neal told her.

"You need to see a doctor."

"Already did." Peter told her as he put down Neal's suitcase.

"Neal's going to be staying with us for a little while El."

"I don't want to impose on you." Neal told her.

"You're not imposing Neal, we'd love to have you….You know you're always welcome here." She looked back at her husband. "I'll go get the spare bedroom ready."

"I think it would be better if he stayed downstairs, we could set up the couch, it's comfortable."

"Why? … We have a perfectly good bedroom upstairs."

"I just think it's better if he doesn't keep going up and down the stairs until he's feeling better."

"The couch is fine Elizabeth." Neal sat down on it, glad to be off his feet.

"Oh, okay." She looked back and forth between the two men, she knew something was up but didn't question them.

"Sorry honey but I got to get back to the office." Peter took Elizabeth's arm and led her to the door. "Take care of him."

"What's going on Peter? Is Neal in some kind of trouble?"

"Yeah." He admitted. "I'll talk to you later about it…..I got to get going." He leaned down and gave her a kiss then looked over at Neal who sat on the sofa staring at the floor lost in thought. "Get some rest." He called over to him then told his wife. "If he starts to feel bad call me."

"Peter you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry hon, I'll explain later….. I love you."

"I love you too."

With one last kiss Peter left.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews. Angbeth…..I once more tried to email you to thank you but I don't know if you got it or not. It didn't bounce back to me so I have no idea where it went… But anyway thanks for taking the time to review, I appreciate it.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter six

**FBI Headquarters**

As soon as he reached his office he called Jones and Diana in and told them he wanted all security and surveillance tapes from Mike's Tavern, especially any that might show the back alley. The only thing he told them was that Caffrey had been jumped; he kept with Neal's wishes and didn't tell them he also was slowly dying. He himself would be going over Neal's files and try to discover who might want to do this to him. He knew if Hughes questioned him he had to tell him the truth that the con man had been poisoned and was slowly dying, but for now he'd keep quiet. He still couldn't believe it himself, Neal could actually die. He had only known Caffrey for a few years but they had developed a mutual trust which had developed into an unlikely friendship. Even his wife El knew there was something special about Neal. … Peter couldn't imagine a life without him.

**Peter's Home**

"Neal what's going on?... I know something's wrong. What is it?" Elizabeth asked as she handed him a cup of coffee.

"Nothing's going on Elizabeth. Peter just gets a little overprotective sometimes…..You know that."

"Yeah I know how he is …..He's very protective of the people he cares about."

Neal smiled.

"He's a good guy Elizabeth."

"I know…but he looked so worried. There is something wrong isn't there?"

"No Elizabeth, everything's fine." He flashed a big Neal Caffrey smile which he hoped hid the fear he was feeling inside.

**Peter's office**

Jones and Diana both returned a few hours later with the security tapes and they began to go through them immediately. They watched Neal enter the bar and have a few drinks, then about half an hour later they watched him leave. The next tape showed him walking outside the bar then being grabbed and pulled into the alley. Then they watched him being beaten and held while a third man enters the scene and then proceeds to punch Neal, and when he's semi conscious deliver the shot. The audio portion of the tape was poor and they'd have to run it through the lab to see if they could enhance it.

"What was in that shot?" Diana asked Peter.

"We're working on that." Was all he told her.

"Play that back and zoom in on his face." Jones told Peter.

"You see something?" Peter asked hopefully.

"I think I know that guy."

Peter quickly rewound the tape and they watched it again, zoomed in and in slow motion.

"Well?"

"I'm ninety nine percent sure his name is Rob DeLoreo, he's the local enforcer for whoever has the right price."

"So someone hired him to dose Caffrey?"

"I'd say so,yeah."

"But why?" When Peter saw Jones and Diana look at him he added. "I know Caffrey's a con man who more than likely made a lot of enemies, but who would want to hurt him that bad?"

"He must have done something pretty bad for someone to work him over like that." Jones said.

"Or someone doesn't like him working for us…." Diana added. "…and tried to teach him a lesson."

"I thought of both those possibilities. We got to get out on the streets and bring DeLoreo in. We need to find out who hired him."

"It shouldn't' be that hard." Jones stated. "DeLoreo was suspected in a lot of hits but we could never prove it, well now he's gotten sloppy, we have him on tape. He won't be able to walk away from us this time."

"I hope not." Peter knew Neal's life depended on it.

Suddenly the office door opened and Neal walked in carrying the case that housed the oxygen that the hospital had given him. Diana and Jones saw his bruises and they both winced in sympathy.

"You okay Neal?" Diana asked. "You look terrible."

"I'm fine." Neal smiled at her and Jones then looked over at Peter who he could tell wasn't happy that he was there. He casually pushed the case under the table hoping no one would ask what was in it.

"I want you two out on the street looking for DeLoreo." Peter told Jones and Diana. "Don't come back unless he's with you."

After both agents left Peter looked over at Neal.

"What are you doing here? You were suppose to stay home and get some rest."

"I got buggy sitting around. ….. You found something?" Neal asked when he noticed the tapes.

"Rob DeLoreo." Peter put the man's face on the screen. "Do you know him?"

"I've heard of him, he's the go to guy if you need something done."

"Do you know of anyone who might be using him to get to you?"

Neal gave a little smile.

"How long a list do you want?"

"Neal this isn't funny. DeLoreo is the one who gave you the shot. I'm thinking he's working for someone who wants you dead."

"Why didn't he just kill me then?"

"I wondered that too….The only thing I could come up with was I think he wants you to suffer first."

Neal became silent as he wondered just how much he was going to have to suffer before the poison finally killed him.

Peter could tell what Neal was thinking.

"We're going to get him before that happens."

"You're going to try Peter, but what if you don't?"

"I'm not going to even think about the alternative, and I don't want you to either. We're taking this guy down, we're getting the antidote, and you're going to be fine."

"I'm going to hold you to that Peter."

Peter knew Neal was finally getting a chance at a second life. He still had the con game in him and he'd probably always would, but he also had a good chance at going straight and staying straight. But more important he was a friend, and Peter was going to do everything he could to keep him alive.

"We're going to solve this Neal, and you aren't going anywhere."

**Later**

Peter continued looking through Neal's files hoping he might be able to pick out someone who had a major grudge against him and wanted to see him suffer. Neal watched over his shoulder but soon had to sit down when he started to feel out of breath.

"You okay." Peter asked when he noticed Neal breathing hard.

"Yeah."

"I think you better take a hit of that oxygen."

"I don't need it, I'm fine."

But when his breathing became even worse he reluctantly opened the case and put the mask up to his face and took a deep breath. It was then reality hit Peter hard, they might not find the cure in time and Neal could actually die.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews. And sorry angbeth that I can't thank you in private but just wanted to thank you for your kind words…I'm so glad you like the story and hope you like the rest of it.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter seven

Neal inhaled the oxygen deep into his lungs, he couldn't believe how short of breath he was. The pure oxygen made him feel like himself again, like he wasn't slowly dying. He watched Peter over the mask and could tell that he was upset. He knew how he would feel if the roles were reversed and wondered if Peter felt the same way. He never thought it would happen but he had grown close to the FBI agent and losing him would have tore a hole in his heart, did Peter feel the same way about him? He took one more hit of oxygen then lowered the mask.

"You okay?" The worry on Peter's face was written all over it.

"Peter I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"You're a good guy Peter and I don't want you to have to deal with this."

"Deal with what?"

"My death."

"Neal…." Peter shook his head not wanting to listen to any talk of death. "We're going to find the…."

"I know Peter; you're going to find the antidote in time."

"We are."

"But if you don't ….." Neal hesitated for a few seconds. "If you don't Peter I don't want you there; I don't want you to watch me die."

"No one is watching you die because it's not going to happen."

"It's already getting harder to breathe. … I don't want to suffocate Peter; I'd rather go off by myself and…."

"And what? Blow your brains out? I thought you were stronger than that, I thought you'd fight till the end."

"Till the end…but not at the end. I don't want to be strapped down and force fed oxygen. If it comes to that I want you to let me go. I want you to turn your back and let me walk away." When Neal saw that Peter was about to object he added. "Promise me Peter; promise me that I'll be free at the end. I've been on the run or locked up for a big part of my life, please let me be free at the end."

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and turned away not wanting Neal to see the tears that were gathering in his eyes. It broke his heart to hear the young con artist talk about freedom, that all he wanted was to know he'd be free at the end. He waited a few second then cleared his throat before he turned around.

"Okay Neal you've earned that. I won't try to stop you….I'll let you walk."

Neal couldn't believe his ears.

"You'll arrange it? No argument? No one will come after me?"

"If that's what you really want, I'll arrange it. I'll remove your anklet and you'll be free….but I wish you'd reconsider, we could get the antidote in the twelfth hour."

"Or not."

"Or not." Peter repeated softly. "I need to ask something of you."

"What?" Neal smile. "You want my chess set?" He tried to joke.

"No I don't want your chess set." Peter smiled back. "I want to know where you're planning on going."

"Last minute heroics huh?"

"If there are any, yes, last minute heroics."

"Well I guess I owe you that much." Neal looked into Peter's face. "Okay I'll tell you, when the time comes you'll be the first to know."

"Okay, when the time comes." Peter was sure he wouldn't have to live up to his end of the bargain. They were going to get DeLoreo and he was going to tell them who hired him. "Neal you need to go back to my house and take it easy."

"It's my life we're talking about, I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay….Well then let's get back to work so none of this happens."

For the next few hours they went over everything the FBI knew about Neal and then some things they didn't. When they were done they had the names of about twenty people who Neal had really pissed off and might want him dead. Unfortunately most of them led very secretive lives and it would be hard to track them down in time.

"Damn it!" Peter threw the files down in frustration. He glanced over at Neal who seemed to be growing paler by the second, the bruises on his face standing out against his white skin and dark hair. Right now all he wanted to do was find the guy who gave Neal the shot and beat him till he told him who he was working for.

When the doors to the main office opened he got at least part of his wish. Jones and Diana were leading a handcuffed DeLoreo toward his office.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews. I was told that the alerts weren't working, not sure if it's for everybody or only a few people. Sorry…..

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter eight

As soon as DeLoreo entered the office Peter grabbed him by the arm and spun him around into a chair.

"Who are you working for?"

DeLoreo ignored Peter and instead kept his eyes on Neal who returned his stare.

"You don't look so good kid." The man said smiling.

Peter grabbed DeLoreo by his face and forced him to look at him.

"You're talking to me, not him…..Who hired you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…..I have no idea why I'm here."

"Show him the tape." Peter told Jones. Peter knew DeLoreo knew damn well why he was there, but he probably didn't know he had actually been caught on tape.

Jones put the tape in and pressed play. The tape showed Caffrey walking by the alley then being pulled into it and beaten. Next it showed a grainy picture of DeLoreo coming out of the shadows and saying something to Neal before leaning down and giving him a shot. Peter watched as DeLoreo's cocky manner turned quiet.

"Okay talk." Peter leaned down and looked into the man's face.

"I want a lawyer."

"We got you on assault and administering a toxin which could lead to death. If he dies, we got you on murder one."

Diana and Jones looked at each other wondering what Peter was talking about. Murder one, for what? Neal had been beaten but wasn't anywhere near death.

DeLoreo still didn't talk.

"If anything happens to him…." Peter indicated Neal. "I'm coming after you with everything I got. You'll never see the light of day again."

"You're threatening me because of that punk kid? The world wouldn't even miss him if he was gone."

Peter grabbed DeLoreo by the front of his shirt and pulled him out of the chair.

"Peter don't." Neal stopped him. "He's not worth it." Neal knew if Peter hit DeLoreo he'd be sued by him and possibly even lose his job.

"Oh believe me he's worth it." If beating DeLoreo would save his friend's life it would definitely be worth it.

"Think of Elizabeth Peter, she's way more important than all this."

Peter looked at Neal and swallowed hard, sure Elizabeth was important, but Neal sounded like he wasn't. He turned back to DeLoreo.

"You're going to take the fall for all of this unless you give me the name I want. If you give me the name I'll see that you get to plea bargain."

DeLoreo looked at Peter and Peter could swear he saw him start to waver. Maybe he was finally realizing he could be going down for a long time unless he bargained. It was then that one of the lab technicians knocked on Peter's door.

"We cleaned up the audio and we got a name." The man told Peter once he entered the room.

"Thanks." Peter took the tape then waited till the man had left the room. "Let's see what we got." He said as he put the tape into the player. They once more watched the tape of Neal being beaten but this time the words were clear and the name Adam Weston was clearly heard.

"Adam Weston." Peter repeated the name to himself, he had heard it before. He looked toward DeLoreo then at Diana and Jones. "Take him away." He wanted to talk to Neal alone.

Once they were alone Peter sat next to Neal.

"Why would Weston want you dead?"

"I took something from him." Neal said simply.

"And he wants you dead for that?"

"Well that and the fact that I made a fool of him in front of his friends."

"Do explain." As much as he knew what Neal had done was wrong, he loved listening to his escapades.

"A few years back Weston had stolen a valuable painting from a friend of mine and I recovered it. … It seems he had a vault that he used to boast to his friends was impenetrable…." Neal smiled. " …and I showed him it wasn't."

"I take it he wasn't too happy about that?"

"No…..guess I made him feel like a fool."

"And you don't make Adam Weston feel like a fool."

"No you don't. ….. Seems like you've heard of him."

"I've heard a lot of stories about him. I know he's a suspect in a lot of deaths, but there is never any proof he's involved with any of them. He hires others and always has an alibi."

"So how do we get him?"

Peter shook his head, he didn't have an answer.

"He's very elusive and there's no way to bring him out in the open. He's also always on the move and right now we have no idea where he's at. … I do know he likes to show up at the funeral of the person he ordered killed, but we can't bust him for that….. We have no proof he was involved in their deaths."

"He shows up at the funerals?"

"Yeah, to make sure they're really dead…and probably to gloat. But we never have anything to hold him on…everything is just heresay…. But now that we have the tape where we can clearly hear his name mentioned, and if we can turn DeLoreo we'd have a reason to investigate him."

"Well then the only way to draw him out is for me to die."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Caffrey

Chapter nine

Neal really couldn't think that they'd just let him die to catch Weston did he?

"What are you talking about Neal?"

"I'm a forger…..I forge paintings, bonds, and I'm a really good sculptor." Neal smiled and gave a little wink.

Peter looked at him confused for a few seconds, but then it hit him.

"You could sculpt your own face and we could fake your death."

Neal smiled again but then grew serious.

"Yeah I could…..if I live that long."

Peter knew they were in a race for time and had to get started as soon as possible.

"Just tell me what you need and I'll have it all sent to my house."

**Later at Peter's house**

Peter had all the supplies Neal had needed sent to his house and he quickly cleaned out a small area in which he could work. He told his wife he would explain everything later. He knew if she knew there was a chance of Neal dying she would treat him different just like Neal said she would and Neal didn't want that and as long as he could Peter decided to go with his wishes.

Neal was given a large lump of wax and immediately began to work. He had a mirror on a stand in front of him and soon the lump of wax began to take the form of a face. They decided he would only need a head; the neck and body could be fashioned from a mannequin. Occasionally he would become weak and would have to stop and rest but he pushed himself, even if he died before they could get the antidote he wanted to complete his project and hoped Peter would then be able to use it to draw Weston out into the open.

Neal was good and by the next day he had a bald version of himself on the table in front of him. He was just finishing adding a touch of color to the lips when Peter came into the room.

"You're good." Peter said smiling at the wax head in front of him.

"Thanks." Neal looked up at him and gave him a tired smile. It was then Peter saw the oxygen tank under the table next to Neal and could tell by the gage that it was almost empty. Neal had needed it more and more as his conditioned worsened.

"You look beat. … You've been up all night haven't you?"

"I wanted to finish this."

"You need to get some rest Neal, you can't be pushing yourself."

"I wanted to do a good job, I wanted to finish it."

"By the looks of it you've done an excellent job. It looks just like you….of course except for the no hair."

"I need a wig and some lashes."

"Sure, where do I get it?"

"There's a small store at the corner of Third and Elm. Tell them I sent you." Neal smiled when he saw the look on Peter's face. "I've used them off and on for some of my ….jobs… Just tell them you need a wig that will resemble my hair color and style, they'll be able to help you….And Peter…."

"Yeah."

"I think it's about time you put my obituary in the paper, maybe they can get it out in the afternoon edition."

"Okay sure." Peter was worried; Neal's skin color didn't look good. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." He lied. "But you better get moving. We need to get this show on the road as soon as possible."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

**Later**

Elizabeth was getting ready to take a shower when she heard Peter leave. She figured she'd take her shower then go downstairs and make Neal some breakfast; Peter could eat when he got back. She took a long hot shower and relaxed as she felt her tension wash down the drain. She then got dressed and went down into the kitchen and scrambled some eggs and made a pot of coffee for their guest. She then put a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee on a tray and carried it into the room where Neal was working.

"Oh my God!" She managed to put the tray down before dropping it. Neal was laying on the floor his skin a grayish blue. "Neal!" She ran over and knelt down next to him. She put her hand on his chest and could feel his heartbeat and could see that his breaths were coming in shallow gasps. She then saw the oxygen tank and mask lying under the table. She quickly pulled it out and put the mask over Neal's face. Once she was sure he was getting oxygen she called 911, then she called her husband.

**Peter's car**

Peter took his ringing cell phone out of his pocket; he smiled when he saw that the call was from his wife.

"Hi baby." He said still smiling.

"Peter….it's Neal…."

Those three words turned his world upside down and a cold chill ran up his spine. He could clearly hear the distress in her voice. He spun the car around and sped toward home.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter ten

Peter rushed home and arrived just in time to see Neal being wheeled out of his house and to a waiting ambulance, Elizabeth by his side.

"Peter I'm sorry." Elizabeth told him as tears ran down her face. She was as fond of Neal as her husband was and she knew if Peter lost him he'd be devastated.

Peter gave his wife a quick hug then looked down at the dying con man. Neal's eyes were shut and his skin had a bluish tint to it, at first Peter thought he was already gone.

"Neal?" Peter put his hand on Neal's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

At first there was no movement but then Neal reached up his hand and put it over Peter's, he then slowly opened his eyes. Peter could see a small smile beneath the oxygen mask.

"Peter….."Neal said weakly, glad his friend was with him. "I'm sorry….I'm sorry we lost."

"Neal you hang in there, we're going to get you through this….you just have to hang tough."

"Don't …..don't let them hook me up….to machines…..you promised." Neal managed to get out between breaths.

Peter blinked back tears, he knew he had promised not to let them put him on life support but he couldn't keep that promise, he couldn't let Neal die without trying to save him.

"I'm sorry Neal." Was all he could say.

It broke Peter's heart to deny his friend his last request, but as long as they could keep Neal alive there was always hope they'd come up with the antidote.

Neal's light blue eyes looked into Peter's one last time and Peter could see the fear in them, but whether it was the fear of dying or the fear of being put on life support he couldn't tell. Finally Neal's eyes closed and his hand slipped from Peter's, he was then placed in the ambulance.

"I need to go with him." Peter told his wife as he climbed into the back of the ambulance. "Meet me at the hospital." He told her as he handed her his keys.

Elizabeth still had no idea what was going on. Why did Neal pass out? If he was sick why were they keeping it from her? She nodded to Peter then ran to the car as the ambulance pulled away.

**The hospital**

Peter paced the waiting room while his wife sat on a chair dabbing at her tear filled eyes.

"What's going on Peter?"

"Neal's dying El."

Peter swallowed hard when he saw the hurt and shock in her eyes.

"Dying? Why?"

"Some jerkoff poisoned him."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Neal didn't want anyone to know….He made me promise…..He said they would treat him differently and he didn't want that."

"Isn't there anything they can do for him?" She could barely get the words out.

"They're doing everything they can."

"He's really going to die?" Elizabeth couldn't believe someone so young and alive one minute could be so sick the next.

"I honestly don't know." Peter sat down next to his wife and took her hands in his. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but Neal….." He shook his head sadly. "Neal made me promise not to tell anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. I'm sorry...I couldn't betray his trust."

"Why was he sculpting a face of himself….I don't understand…"

Peter tried to explain.

"We know who poisoned him….."

"Well why don't you bring him in? Why don't you make him tell you what he gave him?" Elizabeth interrupted him.

"Because we can't prove he's involved, we need to draw him out through a sting operation. He's had people killed before but he always had someone do it for him, he doesn't become involved and always has an alibi. He also is constantly moving, never stays in one place, we have no idea right now where he is. The only known way to draw him out is to stage a funeral. He has this habit of showing up at the funerals of his victims, almost as if to gloat that he got away with it and also to prove to himself that the person is really dead. Neal came up with the idea to stage his own funeral." Peter's voice cracked when he said the last sentence. Neal's fake funeral might now turn out to be a real one.

Just then the doctor walked into the waiting room, his face etched with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, I have some bad news."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews and sorry for the extra short chapter. … And thanks angbeth once more for reviewing…..just want you to know I appreciate it.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter eleven

Peter felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Was Neal dead? An image of the handsome young man flashed in his mind. Neal was always so full of life, so full of energy, he couldn't be dead. He had changed working with Neal, and it had been for the better. Neal had made him smile, had made him enjoy life a little more, and had made him see that he didn't have to always take himself seriously. Peter couldn't even imagine life without him.

"Mr. Caffrey, as I know you are aware, is slowly dying, but his lungs are shutting down sooner then we thought."

At least he was still alive Peter thought.

"How long does he have?" He asked even though he dreaded hearing the answer.

"Two, three days at most."

"Can I see him, is he awake?"

"We had to put him on life support so he is sedated. He's awake but probably won't be able to respond…He fought us and we had to tie him down."

Just what Neal begged him not to let them do to him Peter thought as a wave of guilt washed over him.

"I need to see him."

"He's in isolation and I can only let one of you see him, he's very sick." The doctor explained as he looked back and forth between Peter and Elizabeth.

"Go to him Peter, he needs you. Tell him I'm thinking about him and I'll pray that he gets better." Elizabeth told him.

Peter nodded, too upset to speak; he gave his wife a little kiss then followed the doctor out the door.

"It's right this way." The doctor led Peter down a hall and into a small room. "You'll need to wear a surgical mask and gown for his protection, with his lungs in the condition that they're in we don't want him to pick up any germs.

Peter put the mask and gown on then was led into the isolation room.

The room was sterile and cold with a single bed in the middle of it, tubes and IVs were attached to the body lying on the bed. Peter slowly walked over to the bed and hitched in his breath when he looked down at Neal. The young con man was strapped down to the bed with a tube down his throat which was attached to a machine that forced air into his weakened lungs. He looked pale and lifeless.

"Neal I'm here, you're not alone." Peter needed Neal to know he wasn't going through this alone, that there was someone who cared about him with him. He blinked back tears as he looked at his "partner's" face, he looked so young and helpless. "Neal I don't know if you can hear me, but I think you can…..I just want you to know that I'm going to find Weston and I'm going to get the antidote even if I have to beat it out of him.

There was no response other then the beeping of the heart monitor and the whooshing sound of the ventilator as it pushed air into Neal's lungs.

"You're not going to leave me; I'm not going to let you. We're partners…..we have work to do… cases to work on." Peter took a deep breath trying to keep his voice from cracking. "El's here with me, she's in the waiting room, and she wants you to know she's thinking about you."

When Peter was finished speaking he watched as Neal moved his hand slightly, trying to indicate that he had heard him. Now what he had to do was save him, as much as he hated to leave him he knew he had to, he had work to do.

"I got to go partner, and you damn well better be here when I get back."

Peter watched as a single tear ran down Neal's face.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter twelve

Peter had to act fast, his friend was dying. He quickly drove home and retrieved the sculpted head then drove to his office and found a picture of Neal. He then called the newspaper and had the fake obituary put in the paper, and told them to say that the funeral was tomorrow. He knew he was rushing it but Neal didn't have time to draw it out. He called Jones and Diana into the office and told them what was happening. He had promise Neal he wouldn't tell anyone about the possibility of him dying till he absolutely had to and that time had come. They both offered to help set up the sting, they liked the young con artist almost as much as Peter. Peter told them what he needed and they both hurried off to their assignments. He would have liked to have contacted Mozzie before he saw it in the paper but Peter figured the less people who knew what he was planning the better.

**The funeral home**

Peter took the head to the funeral home and explained what was happening. He knew the funeral home would have wigs and make up, plus would have a body cast they could use as Neal's body. At first the funeral director looked at him like he was nuts but once he flashed his badge and told him it was an FBI sting operation the man seemed impressed and was more than willing to make the funeral look as real as possible.

"I need you to make the hair as close to this picture as you can." Peter handed the man Neal's picture. " It must look as much like him as possible for this to work."

The man told him he would do a good job and that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the fake corpse and a real one.

Peter left Neal's fake corpse in the hands of the funeral director. He had other things to do.

**County Prison**

Peter waited while DeLoreo was ushered into a small room where they could talk, he had to make a deal with him for all this to go down the way he wanted it to.

"What's up F.B.I. guy?" DeLoreo gave him a fake smile.

"We know who you're working for, Adam Weston, and we know he's like Teflon we can't stick him with anything, which means you're going to take the fall for all of this, and he's going to walk away and never think of you again, but I've got a deal for you."

"What kind of deal?"

"Has Weston paid you yet?"

"And what if he has?" DeLoreo wasn't a dummy, he had a feeling they wanted to get Weston on tape paying him off.

"Well if he has, you could always want more."

"And what do I get in return?"

"You're already up for assault with a deadly weapon, and if Caffrey dies it'll be or murder one, I already told you that…..But I can get the charges dropped to simple assault and from there you can plea bargain to an even lesser charge. We want the man responsible for ordering the hit more than you."

"I'll get that in writing?"

"You have more than writing, you have my word."

Right now Peter would even break DeLoreo out of prison if it meant Neal would live.

"What must I do?"

"There's going to be a funeral tomorrow, Caffrey's, and we're hoping Weston shows up. We heard he likes to attend the funerals of his victims. I'll have you wired and I want you to meet outside with Weston. We need you to ask for more money or you'll talk. We're pretty sure Weston will buy your silence."

"Caffrey's dead?" DeLoreo wasn't sure what was going on. Peter had already said _IF_ Caffrey dies… so if Caffrey was still alive, who's funeral was it? Peter only smiled but wouldn't say more until they made the deal. "Weston won't come alone." DeLoreo added.

"But he's not stupid enough to do anything in a crowd of people. We'll make sure you'll be surrounded by agents. Tell him you want twenty thousand more, we don't want to ask for too much or he might have to think about it." Peter could tell DeLoreo was still undecided. "If Neal dies, I'll make sure they'll seek the death penalty against you."

"Why do you care? Caffrey's a criminal, just like me, the world would be better off without him."

"But I wouldn't….. I need an answer….and I need it now."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter thirteen

DeLoreo thought for a few seconds. It was obvious to him that the agent wanted Weston and wanted him bad, and Weston meant nothing to him but a paycheck. He had already been paid and the money was safely tucked away in a fake bank account. But if he was found guilty of attempted murder, or murder, he'd never get to use the money anyway.

"Okay I'll do it."

"I thought you'd come around." Peter was happy, at least now they had something to go on. "Now all I have to do is get you signed over to my custody then get this show on the road."

**The hospital**

Neal had heard Peter talking to him and he had tried to respond but it was impossible, he couldn't move and it terrified him. Exactly what he feared most was actually happening to him, he was trapped and there was nothing he could do. He could actually feel his life slipping away and could tell he was getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute. He wondered what it would feel like to die. Would it hurt? Would he see Kate? Or would everything just go black and then nothing? And what would Peter do? They had developed a friend/foe type of relationship with the emphasis on friend. Peter was still a "suit" and he himself would always be a con, but they had found mutual trust and that trust had soon turned into a real friendship. He knew he had caused Peter trouble over the years and he hoped he wouldn't hold it against him. He hoped Peter would smile when he thought of him. Would he miss him? Would anyone he wondered?

**Peter's office**

Peter took DeLoreo to his office to prepare him for tomorrow. He briefed Diana and Jones and finally told Hughes what happened and what he was going to do to catch Weston. Even though Hughes wasn't happy that Peter didn't come to him right away he knew the bond Peter had with Neal and agreed to go along with Peter's plan, after first chastising him for not telling him about the poison.

**The next morning**

Elizabeth stayed at the hospital with Neal while Peter went to the funeral home early to make sure everything was set up. Neal's obituary had appeared in last night's paper and once more in the morning paper. He could only hope that Weston saw it. He knew they were rushing things but they didn't have a choice, Neal was slipping fast and his life depended on this working. He had stopped in to see Neal late last night and found out that he had slipped into a coma. It was only a matter of time now before Neal would die, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

Peter walked into the room where Neal's fake body was and sucked in his breath when he saw the body in the coffin, it looked so real. The undertaker had done an incredible job; it really looked like Neal and if it could fool him it should be able to fool Weston. Peter felt a cold, sharp pain shoot through his heart, soon this scene could be real, soon Neal really could be lying in a coffin. Flowers surrounded the coffin and the sweet smell of them was making him sick, they always reminded him of death.

A few minutes later Diana and Jones walked into the room.

"It looks just like him." Diana whispered as she looked at the face in the coffin. "They did a really good job."

"You okay Peter, you don't look so good?" Jones asked as he too peered into the coffin. He himself was taken back by the face on the body and he could imagine how Peter felt….it felt like Neal really had died..

Peter tore his eyes off of Neal's face.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay."

Diana put her hand on Peter's arm; she knew he was worried about Neal.

"Neal's going to be fine Peter….This is going to work."

"It better." Peter said just as DeLoreo and others started walking into the room.

**The funeral**

People began arriving a few minutes later and one of them was Mozzie. He walked over and looked down at the body. He couldn't believe Neal was dead. Why hadn't he been notified?

"I told you bad things would happen if you kept working for the "suits"." He took off his glasses and wiped at his eyes as tears gathered in them. "I'm going to miss you buddy." He then walked over to Peter. "What happened to him?... Why didn't you protect him?" Mozzie asked obviously torn apart by the death of his friend. "He always looked out for you, why didn't you look out for him?"

"Mozzie I'll talk to you later, I'll explain everything then." Peter knew it would be a shock to Mozzie but everything had happened so fast and he hadn't been able to get word to him.

"Neal thought you were his friend, he thought he could trust you."

"I am his friend." Peter told him.

"Am?" Mozzie looked at him strangely, why did he use the present tense instead of the past?

"I told you I'll explain everything later." Peter told Mozzie as he watched Weston and his men walk into the funeral home.

T BC


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter fourteen

Peter watched as Weston walked over to Neal's casket. There was a small microphone and camera hidden in the casket and Peter could hear everything that was said.

"Guess I have the last laugh Caffrey…..I've been waiting to see you laid out for a long time." Weston said smiling. "I always win, you should have known that."

When Weston turned around he noticed DeLoreo standing in the room by the door. Peter could tell that Weston was surprised to see him there and watched as the surprise turned to anger. Weston looked around the room then walked over to DeLoreo.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked as he glared at DeLoreo. "You've been paid…."

"I'll talk to you outside, after the funeral." De Loreo interrupted him, the last thing he wanted to do was make a scene inside the funeral home. He had been told by the FBI to talk to Weston in the alley outside the funeral home, that way agents could surround them and there would be less chance of anyone getting hurt.

**Outside after the funeral**

The sermon was a sad one about the possible reasons for someone dying so young. There was hardly a dry eye in the house once it was over. Peter watched as some of the toughest agents he knew cleared their throats and tried not to show any emotions. He too tried to compose himself and to remind himself that this wasn't real, Neal was alive and he was going to see to it that he stayed that way.

After the service the guests walked by the casket one by one paying their last respects. Then they slowly filtered outside. Peter and the rest of the agents walked into the alley and waited for DeLoreo and Weston to come out. They formed a semi circle around the doorway hoping to surround the two men and keep any of the other guests safe.

When they saw DeLoreo and Weston and his men finally come out they started talking amongst themselves pretending not to be paying any attention to the men.

"So why are you here?" Weston asked DeLoreo as soon as they stepped outside. "You got your money, you should be long gone by now."

"I want twenty more."

"What?...Are you trying to shake me down?" Weston leaned down and glared into the smaller man's face.

"I need twenty more or I'm going to the cops." DeLoreo had been told to try and get Weston to admit he was the one who wanted Neal poisoned so he added. "I gave him the shot just like you told me to, but I didn't know it was going to kill him. I need to leave town before the cops track me down, and I need twenty more to be able to do it."

"You're the idiot who overdosed him; you must have given him the entire shot instead of half of it like I told you. I wanted him to suffer, I wanted him to die slowly, not like this, not this quick."

"Well he's dead and I need to get out of here, and I'm going to need more money in order to do that."

The FBI had heard enough. Weston had just admitted he was he who had Neal poisoned.

The agents quickly moved in.

"FBI you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Neal Caffrey." Peter said as he flashed his badge in Weston's face. Weston's men started reaching for their guns tucked safely under their jackets but stopped when the agents surrounding them pulled out their own guns.

"Attempted?...What are you talking about attempted? Caffrey's dead, I saw his body."

"Just hold that thought." Peter disappeared into the funeral home and a few seconds later came out holding the fake head. "You mean this." Peter said as he tossed the head to Weston who jumped backward in horror when he saw the head sailing toward him. He stood staring at it as realization finally hit him, he had been conned. Peter walked over and stood right in front of him.

"I want that antidote." Peter told him. "And I want it now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Peter opened DeLoreo's jacket and showed Weston the wire.

"We've got it all on tape. Right now we have you on attempted murder, if Neal dies, we'll have you on murder one, and I swear I'll seek the death penalty."

"I want my lawyer."

"Listen you son of a bitch! My friend is dying and you can save him! I want that antidote!" Peter reached out and grabbed Weston by his collar and twisted it tight as he made a fist with his other hand.

"Peter!" Jones shouted at him. He knew Weston would be looking for any reason to sue them. "We have cause to get a search warrant…We'll find the antidote."

Peter pushed Weston away as he let go of his collar.

"You better pray that we do." He said through clenched teeth. If anything happened to Neal he swore to himself he'd make Weston pay.

Just then Peter's phone rang. He walked away as he answered it, it was Elizabeth.

"Peter….." She tried unsuccessfully to hide the fear in her voice.

"El what is it?" Peter's heart pounded in his chest, he didn't know if he wanted to hear her answer.

"It's Neal Peter…..he's dying."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for the reviews.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter fifteen

"Oh God no…." Peter said softly to himself. "I'll be right there El." He hung up the phone and started running toward his car. He wasn't about to let Neal die by himself. He looked back at Jones. "Get that antidote… even if you have to beat it out of him!"

Diana looked over at Jones.

"If Neal doesn't make it Peter is going to go ballistic."

"I know." Jones said sadly.

Jones took out his phone and called the office and requested a search warrant for Weston's house. He then pulled Weston's hands behind him and handcuffed him then pushed him into his car.

"I'll take this piece of crap with me." He told the other agents as Peter's last words echoed in his head ' _even if you have to beat it out of him '_. He wondered if it might come down to that. Jones had told the office to send the search warrant right to Weston's house, hopefully by the time they got there it would be waiting for them.

**The hospital**

Neal rushed into the waiting room where he had left Elizabeth.

"Oh Peter…" She sobbed as she ran into his arms. "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…." She kept repeating. She knew how much Peter liked Neal and could tell he was as heartbroken as she was.

"We got Weston, we're working on getting the antidote." He told her as he held her tight. "How's Neal?"

"His heart monitor went off. I think he flat lined but they brought him back…They said it was only a matter of time now."

"I got to see him; I got to be with him…." Neal kissed his wife on her forehead. "Wait here El, I'll be right back." Peter needed to see Neal and he needed to see him alone. He didn't want his wife to see him break down. He had to be strong, he had to be strong for her…and for Neal.

"I don't think they'll let you in, I was with him and they made me leave so they could work on him."

"I got to be with him El, I can't let him die alone." Peter blinked back tears. "It's all my fault. If I had just driven him home that night this wouldn't have happened. I'm the reason he's in there fighting for his life, I'm the reason he might die."

Elizabeth pulled back and looked him in his face.

"You know Neal wouldn't blame you, so don't blame yourself. I know how much you care about him Peter, I care about him too, he knows that. You two have something special between you, and Neal wouldn't want you to blame yourself Peter, he cared about you too much for that. If he doesn't make it he'd want you to remember him and smile, not grieve or feel guilty. I know he would and deep down you know that too."

Peter pulled his wife back into his arms.

"I love you Elizabeth." He appreciated what she was trying to do, but he knew if Neal died he'd never forgive himself. "I got to go to him El. I got to be with him incase….." He couldn't finish.

"Go." She kissed him on his cheek. She watched him go as tears ran down her face, tears for Neal, and tears for her husband.

Peter hurried toward the isolation room praying he'd get there in time. He turned a corner and looked down the hall to Neal's room, it was empty. He felt his heart drop to the floor. He ran to the nurse's station. Was Neal dead? Was he too late?

"The guy that was in the isolation room, where is he?"

"I'm sorry, I just came on duty." The nurse turned to her computer and began looking through her files. "He was taken to intensive care." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't look good."

"Where's intensive care?"

She told him and he ran in that direction. Once there he grabbed the arm of the first nurse he saw.

"Where's Caffrey?"

"And you are?"

Peter pulled out his FBI badge.

"I need to see him."

"Follow me."

She led Peter to Neal's room.

"Dr. Richards." She called to the attending doctor who was standing outside the room. "The FBI is here to see Mr. Caffrey."

The doctor walked over to Peter

"He's not doing well; he's got two to three hours at the most." When he saw the broken look on Peter's face he added. "I'm sorry….I really am."

"I need to be with him." Peter took a deep breath trying to stop himself from shaking.

The doctor saw no reason to object, Caffrey was dying and right now there was nothing anyone could do for him. He stood back and allowed Peter to enter the room.

Peter walked over and stood next to Neal and fought to keep his emotions in check, he had to be strong for him. Neal looked dead, his skin a bluish grey with only a slight hint of pink.

"You got to hang in there Neal. We got Weston and it's only a matter of time before they find the antidote."

Even as he said the words he could almost hear Neal begging him to pull the plug, Peter knew Neal didn't want to be kept alive by machines and had promised him he'd let him go off by himself to die, but he hadn't kept that promise…but now he could set him free. … All he had to do was pull the plug. He hesitated for a few minutes hoping for a miracle, but when none came he slowly reached for the plug. He wasn't going to let him suffer any longer.

"Bye partner." His words were choked as he fought back the tears.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

This is the last chapter. Thanks to all who left reviews, I hope you enjoyed the story. To videlicet…. Since I can't answer your question on a private message I'll try to answer it here…..Peter does not have the legal right to pull the plug, but he's thinking with his emotions and not his brain. Neal had told him he didn't want to be kept alive by machines and Peter thinks Neal is dying and there isn't any hope left. He doesn't want him to suffer needlessly any longer….he feels as if he can do this one last thing for Neal even though it's wrong. And to angbethe…Thanks as always for your kind words, you are so sweet and I'm glad you like my stories.

R.I.P. Neal Caffrey

Chapter sixteen

Peter put his hand on the machine but stopped, he couldn't bring himself to pull the plug, he couldn't end Neal's life.

"I'm sorry Neal…I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have…."

Suddenly the door flew open and the doctor rushed in.

"We got it!...Your agents got the antidote!"

Peter looked out into the hallway and saw Elizabeth, Jones, and Diana standing there with a look of hope on their faces. "We took it to the lab to run some tests on it, but we should be able to administer it within the hour."

"Is he going to make it?"

"I can't say…..He's in God's hands now, but at least he has a fighting chance."

**Later**

About a half hour later a lab technician walked into the room with a syringe filled with a pink colored liquid and handed it to the doctor. The doctor immediately injected the liquid into Neal's IV.

"How long till we know?" Peter asked.

"He's very weak, it could be hours, or even days till we see an improvement…..or we might already be too late….I'd advise you to all go home and get some rest. There won't be any signs of improvement for at least six hours or so."

Peter wanted to stay but Elizabeth could see he was both physically and mentally exhausted, and wearing himself down wasn't going to help anyone. He reluctantly left but made the doctor promise to call if there was any change in Neal's condition.

**Four hours later**

Once he was home Peter took a quick shower then took a two hour nap. He tossed and turned throughout his nap, too worried about Neal to get any real sleep. Elizabeth lay sleeping next to him and he kissed her goodbye as he quietly got up being careful not to wake her, he knew she was exhausted but he had to get back to the hospital, he had to be there when Neal woke up.

At the hospital he got permission to put a chair in the intensive care room next to Neal's bed, just being next to his "partner" made him feel better. He kept his eyes on Neal for the next few hours waiting for any signs of improvement, but finally totally exhausted he drifted off to a restless sleep.

**Three hours later**

Peter was awakened by someone gently shaking his shoulder. A nurse stood next to him smiling.

"Someone wants to see you."

Peter jumped up and stood next to Neal's bed clutching the bar that surrounded the bed. Neal's eyes were open and his color was slowly returning, but the main thing Peter noticed was that the breathing tube down his throat had been removed, and also the straps that had held Neal captive to the bed were gone. Peter had slept through it all. Neal looked weak and pale, but he was alive, and breathing on his own.

"Hey." Neal said weakly his voice sore and raspy from having the tube down his throat.

"It's about time you woke up partner." Peter said smiling. He knew Neal had no idea how good it felt to see those baby blues looking back up at him. "We really thought we lost you there for awhile."

"Can't get rid of me that easily." Neal whispered softly. "Did you get Weston?"

"Yeah, he'll be going away for a long time for attempted murder." Peter was thankful he didn't have to add murder one to the charges.

"So, did you miss me?" Neal gave a little smile.

"Not at all." Peter lied; in truth he couldn't imagine his life without him.

"Come on admit it… you missed me didn't you?"

"Well maybe just a little." Peter smiled back at Neal_. If only you knew how much_ he thought.

"Still working together?" Neal remembered Peter had threatened to send him back to prison for botching the Iceman's case and letting his friend escape.

"Yeah we're still working together."

"Good." Neal visibly relaxed. "Did you go through with the funeral? … Is that what drew Weston out?"

"Yeah…." Peter smiled. "He seemed a little shock when I threw your head at him." Peter laughed remembering the look on Weston's face, and then he remembered something. "Oh that's right….I need to call some people who need to know you're going to be okay…..I'll need Mozzie's number, he thinks you're dead, and the last time I saw him he wasn't too happy with me."

Neal shut his eyes and tried to think, but his mind was foggy.

"I can't remember it off hand…. but I have it on speed dial."

"Well then I'll need your phone…..can I borrow it?" Peter knew the nurse's station would have Neal's clothes and anything he had on him when he was admitted.

"Uh….sure…..he's on speed dial two."

"Who is on one?"

"You." Neal smiled and Peter smiled back at him.

"That's nice to know." It made Peter feel good that Neal had put him first. "Get some rest; I got to make some calls." Peter started to walk away.

"Peter." Neal called him back. "Just press two…..Don't look at the other numbers…..Promise me." Neal knew he had a lot of numbers on speed dial that the F.B.I. wouldn't approve of.

Peter smiled, once a con always a con, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Things were getting back to normal and that was just the way he liked it.

"I promise."

"Thanks." Neal settled back in the bed, he trusted Peter and knew he wouldn't break his promise.

Peter picked up Neal's phone at the nurse's station then headed outside to make his calls; he knew hospital regulations prohibited using cell phones in the hospital. He pulled out his own phone and notified Elizabeth then called the F.B.I. and notified Hughes and the rest of the agents that Neal was going to make it. He then pulled out Neal's phone and opened it. At first he was tempted to look at the other numbers, but he had promised the con man and he wasn't going to break his promise. He pressed two then smiled to himself picturing Mozzie's face when he saw who the call was coming from …a dead man. He couldn't wait to break the news to Neal's friend that he was alive and well and would hopefully make a full recovery. Life was good he thought as he finally allowed himself to relax for the first time in days.

The End


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